2018 Subaru Xv Crosstrek 2.0i Premium on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Catch the rally bug in one easy step at Wales Rally GB

You should go watch a rally. Yes, you. And by "a rally," I mean pretty much anything that could be considered a rally. Is there a grassroots rallycross event near you featuring some $500 beater Subarus mucking about in a field? Go to that. Or a full-blown WRC event. Set your coffeemaker to kick out some extra-potent brew, because you'll probably have to wake up early and drive for a bit to see something. But trust me, it'll be worth it. In Europe, with hundreds of events concentrated in a relatively small geographical area, in all sorts of environments (snow, forest, dirt, you name it), this is a lot easier. North America is huge. Your TV is closer, your couch is comfortable. That's the challenge for hooking new rally fans in America. So, why get off your tail? I travelled to Wales, the tiny windswept country on the western edge of Great Britain, to find out. First, we stopped by David Higgins' rally school, parked at the top of a sheep-studded ridge in the middle of nowhere. This was a two-part trip. The first bit was a visit to David Higgins' rally school, parked at the top of a sheep-studded ridge in the middle of nowhere. The second part was the main event: watching the headline rally event in the UK – WRC Wales Rally GB – in what amounted to a tropical storm at winter temperatures. Despite the challenges, it was one of those trips that left me smiling the whole time. At the Higgins Rally School, we had a very abbreviated experience, essentially the highlights of a multi-day course condensed into a few short hours. The first was learning how to do J-turns on mud, in an old UK-market Ford Escort ... with right-hand drive, and so, a left-hand manual shift, which made it much harder to nail the technique with the "wrong" hand. Then, it was off for a lap with an instructor in the passenger seat in a rear-drive-converted Subaru Impreza WRX – flying through gravel, mud, within spitting distance of piles of logs. That was exhilarating. Or at least, it was, until the ride-alongs with the pros. Jimmy McRae, a storied driver and father to the late and even more storied Colin McRae, was behind the wheel. The car was an early 1990s Prodrive-built Legacy, a real works car, and it made demonic noises as McRae flew through the woods, mostly sideways.

Subaru STI version of Viziv Performance Concept will debut at Tokyo Show

When Subaru revealed the Viziv Performance Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show, there were many rumblings that it previewed the next Subaru WRX. That possibility seems much more likely now that we've had a glimpse at Subaru's concept for the Tokyo Auto Salon, the Viziv Performance STI Concept, which could be a preview of the next WRX STI. Though we only have a couple teaser images to work with, we can clearly see that it's a flashier machine all-around. In the grille is the trademark pink STI badge, and it's matched by pink accent lines in the grille, the front lip spoiler, new air inlet, side skirts, and on the rear wing. And in true STI fashion, the rear wing is enormous. It also looks like the fender flares may be slightly wider than the standard Viziv concept. Other than what we can see, we don't know much else about this concept. Since it's a Subaru, it's sure to have a flat-4 engine and all-wheel drive. We can also make out the roof sensors from the last Viziv, indicating that this, too, will have fancy driver assistance systems. And if the development of the Subaru Ascent from the Viziv-7 is anything to go by, this concept will probably lead to a production model. As we've said before, though, we'd caution Subaru fans against high hopes, since Subaru has already shown in the past that its concepts don't always translate to production. Related Video: Image Credit: Subaru Tokyo Auto Salon Subaru Concept Cars Performance Sedan subaru viziv perfromance concept

Subaru, like Nissan, admits improper checks on Japan cars, expects recalls

TOKYO — Subaru on Friday said it had failed to follow proper inspection procedures for vehicles for the domestic market, an issue likely to result in a product recall and adding to a list of compliance problems at Japanese companies. The automaker said for more than 30 years, final inspections of new vehicles at its main Gunma complex north of Tokyo were sometimes conducted by inspectors who were not listed as certified technicians, violating transport ministry requirements. The automaker said it was therefore considering recalling about 255,000 vehicles including its Legacy, Forester and Impreza models produced at the complex and sold at home, at a cost of around 5 billion yen ($43.86 million). Chief Executive Officer Yasuyuki Yoshinaga at a news conference said inspectors in training for certification to sign off final checks had been approving the checks under the names of their trainers, a process the automaker followed for over 30 years without realizing it did not meet ministry requirements. "The final inspection process is very important and we acknowledge that we did not meet requirements," Yoshinaga said. "It's always been my goal to make this company good. This issue shows that we're not there yet." Subaru said it would report details of an internal investigation to the ministry on Monday, and that it needed to better communicate requirements to workers. "It's always been my goal to make this company good. This issue shows that we're not there yet." The revelation followed a similar oversight at Nissan, while Kobe Steel has been grappling with a data fabrication scandal, tarnishing Japan's reputation for quality control. Yoshinaga said the issue was discovered during an internal inspection ordered by the ministry after Nissan late last month revealed similar violations on inspections governing vehicles sold in Japan at its domestic factories. The ministry requires certified technicians to sign off on paperwork for final inspections for vehicles produced in Japan for the domestic market. The extra step does not affect product quality and is not needed for vehicles exported overseas. Toyota, Honda and other Japanese automakers on Friday said they have reported to the ministry that they found no issues with their respective inspections. Subaru shares closed down 2.6 percent on Friday after falling more than 3 percent following media reports of the improper inspections. The broader market rose 1.2 percent.